


The Draw Succeeds

by QwillReign



Category: Septimus Heap - Angie Sage
Genre: Angst, Gen, It was really meant to be Angst, Marcia POV, Stream of Consciousness
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-25
Updated: 2021-02-25
Packaged: 2021-03-16 13:02:39
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,109
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29700966
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/QwillReign/pseuds/QwillReign
Summary: When Septimus pulls out the Questing Stone, there is nothing to be done. Or is there?
Relationships: Septimus Heap & Marcia Overstrand
Comments: 3
Kudos: 6





	The Draw Succeeds

They called a Gathering, and Marcia’s heart stopped. 

She had to let them in. She had to let them vote. She had to let them bring out the Draw, and Septimus had to do it. 

There was nothing to be done, one simply could not deny the Gathering.- (At least, that was what Marcia had to believe, but maybe she could have, and she definitely should have)- But she also had to stay strong. She had to be composed, and she had to act like Septimus would return. If she didn’t, if she broke down crying, Marcia would put doubt into the hearts of the Ordinary Wizards. 

She held the Tower together, and she couldn’t let it fall. Not again. 

She wanted to cry, but she had to smile.  
She wanted to do more, but she was, as Teterus Fume had reminded her so rudely, one voice among many. 

Marcia held Septimus close. In the eyes of the assembled Gathering, she was simply wishing her apprentice good luck. But she gave him more than wishes. She gave him her platinum Keepsafe charm, and she gave him her love. 

Then, she watched Septimus, who had not been given time to prepare, but carried basic preparations in his bag as a matter of principle, leave quickly and purposely through the great doors of the Wizard Tower. 

She was glad- no, not glad, there was nothing in this whole situation to be glad about- she was relieved to see that Alther and several of the ghosts who had lost their own apprentices to the Queste were accompanying Septimus. They would give him knowledge about the Queste, knowledge that only they could possibly know, and she trusted Alther to go with Septimus as far as he could. 

As a matter of tradition, Marcia could not accompany Septimus out of the tower. As a matter of fact, she did. 

Well, first she retrieved his emergency pack from under his bed, then she followed him. Magyk would not allow her to go with him on the Queste, but the tradition wasn’t Magyk, at least not in this case, and she was not going to allow Septimus to leave without 1) saying goodbye, and 2) proper supplies. 

When she returned, Beetle and Jenna were waiting at the base of the stairs. Their pale faces were reflections of her own emotions, and their worried babble did nothing but increase Marcia’s own anxiousness. 

“Stop! Just, stop.” Marcia had reached a breaking point. She wanted to sit down right there, in the middle of the courtyard, and cry. She wanted to bury her face in her hands, and to yell and scream about the unfairness of it all. But up ahead was Septimus, walking slowly but firmly down Wizard way. 

He was surrounded by ghosts, and Marcia smiled for a moment at the image they created. The young, powerful, kind apprentice, learning from his predecessors. 

She snapped back to reality, and ran to him, leaving Jenna and Beetle staring concernedly after her. Marcia Passed Through the ghosts, and just restrained herself from pulling Septimus into a hug. 

She recognized the expression on his face, and had worn it many times herself. In fact, Marcia wagered she was wearing it as well. It was that of someone trying to hide the pain, putting up a good front for the sake of the rest. 

She sent the Ghosts away with a brusque wave of the hand. All but Alther. Then, she hesitantly put an arm around her apprentice, drawing him to her side. Together, the four Living and one Ghost made their way to the palace landing stage. 

Marcia watched Jenna and Beetle try to convince their friend not to go. She watched as he so obviously reassured them without any feeling behind it. He looked resigned, and he looked scared. She was sure that no-one else had noticed, but her heart throbbed for the barely 14-year-old boy. 

Marcia wanted to march him straight back up to the tower. She knew her apprentice was resourceful, and he was smart and very capable. He had proved that a hundred times over. But she also knew he was only 12, and had 4 years of apprenticeship left before he should have even had the chance to go on the Queste. 

It scared her. Marcia hated to admit it, even to herself, but it was true. The Queste scared her, and until she had met Septimus, she had never been as thankful as the day she had drawn out a plain stone from the Questing Pot. 

Marcia gave Septimus a farewell hug, and slipped him the pack, and the many Keepsafe charms the Ordinary wizards had given her for Septimus on her way through the tower. She released him, kissed his head, and whispered “I love you, Septimus.”

It was the first time she had said it, and it was completely true. Marcia thought of Septimus as her son, not just her apprentice. She was so, so proud of him, and she needed him to know that, before she lost him forever. 

Septimus looked up at her, smiling through his obvious terror. “Really?” he whispered.

“Really. And I am so, so proud of you. I’ll see you soon, alright?”

“Alright. And, Marcia,” Septimus hesitated, “I love you too.”

She watched the Questing Guards come closer, and watched Septimus flinch away. She has overheard the Ghosts telling him to avoid them, and agreed wholeheartedly. They looked cruel and vicious. 

“Go, Septimus! Go!” Marcia threw up a Safeshield, and pushed him backward. She watched as he disappeared, using the unseen she had taught them during their months in Keeper’s cottage, and she watched as the little rowboat started moving seemingly of its own volition. 

Marcia Incapacitated the Questing Guards, and turned back home. As she walked away, Marcia suddenly thought of something. 

She had taken the Flyte charm away from Septimus, and never given it back. Calling for Beetle to follow, Marcia sprinted to the Manuscriptorium. She ignored that nasty Jillie Dijinn’s protests, and went straight down to the vaults. With Beetle guiding her, she swiftly retrieved the Flytre charm and headed for the Dragon Pen. 

She tied the charm into a pouch of Spit Fyre’s saddle, and sent him off with a Seek on Septimus. 

Marcia sighed. She was finally alone in her rooms at the top of the Wizard Tower. The emotions she had been keeping in for much too long came busting out at once, and she cried harder than ever before, barring the aftermath of Alther’s death. 

Marcia would always blame herself for this. She would never take on an Apprentice again.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! Let me know what you thought!


End file.
